WHEN I was a very young man, around 25 years old, I acquired a one-acre piece of land on Route 31 between Weedsport and Port Byron.  This land is zoned for commercial use.

At the time, storage unit facilities were the new thing and a few of them were popping up.  As I recall, there may have been one other storage facility in the area.

I got together with a high school buddy of mine that was a local business owner/entrepreneur and we decided we were going to open a storage unit business on that one-acre plot of land.

I contacted a well-known metal building manufacturer, had plans drawn up for one building with room for two more, arranged for financing and building construction.  I was pretty much all set to rock and roll, money and all. 

At the last minute, I got cold feet and called the whole thing off.  What a mistake.  What an opportunity lost.  Within the next 2 or 3 years, two more storage facilities were built on that stretch of road.  Many other storage facilities were built in the surrounding areas.  Basically, I was at the right time, at the right place, with the right idea and I blew it…mostly due to fear and inexperience.  Had I gone ahead with the business plan, there would most likely be three buildings there now, all paid for and I would be sitting on the beach somewhere in South Carolina sipping a mojito and being warm all winter!  There would be a steady flow of passive income.  I shake my head every time I think about.  Lesson learned.

Right now my head is swimming with clichés.
Fate favors the bold.    
When you come to a fork in the road, take one.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better to try and fail than fail to try.

We always learn more from our failures than our successes. That being said, nothing is learned as long as you’re sitting on the sidelines.  Get out there, try things.  Yes, you’ll fail sometimes (I’ve failed many times) but you’ll learn something from it.

And mostly, do.  Try.  Live life without regrets.  If you know someone you care about, tell them……today.  Don’t wait to turn your dreams into goals. The step you take today could launch you into the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed about.  

And lastly, look for those life-changing opportunities, they are all around us.    I believe we are each given many opportunities in a lifetime.  Take a chance on one.  It could change everything for you!